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Mirror Reaper
Mirror Reaper is the third studio album by Bell Witch, released on 20 October 2017 via Profound Lore Records. It would be released through physical media as a double album and in digital as it's intended form, a single song spanning nearly eighty-four minutes. Notably it would be the band's first release following the death of original drummer Adrian GuerraPop Matters and serves as a tribute to him.Vice Mirror Reaper would see significant critical acclaim upon it's release and top several "best of" lists among a wide array of publications.Metacritic Background Writing and Recording Following the release of the acclaimed Four Phantoms in 2014, Bell Witch would tour Europe and North America in support. However before a tour of North America alongside Wrekmeister Harmonies and the recording of the next album, drummer and co-founder Adrian Guerra would leave the band due to health concerns. He would be replaced by Jesse Shreibman on drums. Desmond and Shreibman began brainstorming a two-part song built around a single repeating riff, its movements titled "As Above" and "So Below." At the halfway point, the song would double back on itself, playing darker reflections of earlier sections in reverse order. Vice Guerra died on 15 May 2016, aged 35.Metal Injection When news of the death of Guerra reached the band, the tone for the record shifted,Riot Fest as indicated in an official statement: Mirror Reaper was conceived as a single 80+ minute song. However due to the limitations on Vinyl, CD and Cassette, only the digital version presents the song completely unabridged. Musically, Mirror Reaper is an extended composition focused on a fittingly gloomy mood. In the fashion of Bell Witch only bass, drums and vocals are used with exception to occasional use of Hammond Organ. In terms of vocals, drummer Jesse Shreibman provides low, guttural death growls while Bassist Dylan Desmond handles the cleaner vocals. Halfway through the album, in a section titled "The Words of the Dead", vocals from former drummer Adrian Guerra appear, having been recorded and cut from the band's previous album. Mirror Reaper closes with a section featuring recurring guest Erik Moggridge (Aerial Ruin), singing somberly and gently. AV Club In an interview with Distorted Sound Magazine, Shreibman and Desmond both speak about the challenging process and working in Guerra's vocals: Mirror Reaper's artwork, a painting titled "Essence of Freedom" by Polish artist Mariusz Lewandowski, strongly resembling the works of Zdzisław Beksiński, who is Lewandowski's primary inspiration. Release and Reception Mirror Reaper was met with critical acclaim. The album received an average score of 85/100 from 6 reviews on Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim".Metacritic Sasha Geffen of Pitchfork, awarding the album an 8.0/10, would state: "Mourning overwhelms the mourner; it often feels as though it is the whole world. Mirror Reaper simulates that totality of grief, but it also transcends its own function as a eulogy.".Pitchfork Writing for PopMatters, Thomas Britt praised the meaningfulness of the song's protracted length, saying, "The concluding impression, through repeated listens, is that Mirror Reaper is appropriately scaled to its subject and stakes ... Implicitly, the record poses the question: If this hour-plus feels long, what must forever feel like?"PopmattersPopmatters Lastly, Cole Firth wrote for Exclaim! (Awarding the album an 8.0/10), "Mirror Reaper is certainly an outstanding accomplishment in the Bell Witch catalogue. It may be their most emotionally stirring and musically ambitious record to date."Exclaim! Other critics and reviewers whom praised the album were among the likes of Metal Injection,Metal Injection Spectrum Culture (4/5),Spectrum Culture This Is Darkness,This Is Darkness Angry Metal Guy,Angry Metal Guy Indy Metal VaultIndy Metal Vault and A.V. Club (A-).A.V. Club Notably the band were surprised by the overwhelming positive reception and bracing for negativity, reflecting on the reception as very humbling in an interview with CVLT Nation.CVLT Nation Ultimately Mirror Reaper would make high marks on several publications' year-end lists. Notably while it reached #7 on the Readers' Year-End Poll,The Obelisk Mirror Reaper would be awarded "Song of The Year" by The Obelisk.The Obelisk Other year-end lists Mirror Reaper would appear on would include #11 on Decibel Magazine's Top 40 albums of 2017,Decibel Magazine #13 on Rolling Stone's Top 20 Metal Albums of 2017,Rolling Stone #10 on Loudwire's 25 Best Metal Albums of 2017,Loudwire #5 on The Quietus' Best Metal Albums of 2017The Quietus and Exclaim's Top Ten Hardcore and Metal Albums.Exclaim! Finally, Mirror Reaper would be listed at #1 on Popmatters' Best Metal Albums of 2017.Popmatters Live Performances and Touring In terms of live performances Bell Witch would largely perform roughly half of the song on tour due to time limitations. However at the 2018 edition of Roadburn Festival Bell Witch would perform the entirety of the song for the first time with Erik Moggridge. On 15 November 2018, two months after a headlining tour of Europe was announced for the Fall,Ghost Cult Magazine Profound Lore Records would release a visual album of "Mirror Reaper". Directed and edited by Taylor Bednarz and comprised of antique, archival and public domain footage, this visual album would be presented to compliment on the band's fall theater tour where Mirror Reaper was performed in full.Riff Relevant Tracklist Digital Version *1. Mirror Reaper (83:15) Profound Lore CD *1. Mirror Reaper Pt. 1 - As Above (48:13) *2. Mirror Reaper Pt. 2 - So Below (35:30) Profound Lore LP *1. As (17:19) *2. Above (21:01) *3. So (22:29) *4. Below (23:03) Personnel *'Dylan Desmond' - Bass, Vocals *'Jesse Shreibman' - Drums, Organ, Vocals *'Erik Moddridge' - Additional Vocals *'Adrian Guerra' - Additional Vocals ("The Words of The Dead") *'Billy Anderson' - Engineer, Mixing, Producer *'Justin Weis' - Mastering *'Mariusz Lewandowski' - Artwork *'Taylor Bednarz' - Live Video, Film External Links *Mirror Reaper on Bell Witch's Bandcamp *Mirror Reaper on Discogs *Mirror Reaper on Bandcamp Daily *Interview via Exclaim! References Category:Release Category:Studio Album Category:Bell Witch Category:Funeral Doom Metal Category:Profound Lore Records Category:Billy Anderson Category:Portland Category:Oregon